First of five provost candidates visits Southeast

The first of five provost candidates began a two-day visit Monday at Southeast Missouri State University, as university officials continue the search for Southeast's next chief academic officer.

Scott Furlong, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, met with university officials, staff and faculty, and he participated in two open forums.

Southeast formed a provost search committee soon after April 8, when William Eddleman announced his plan to step down as the university's chief academic officer June 1 and return to the faculty until Jan. 1, when he will retire.

Gerald McDougall, associate provost for Extended Learning, dean of the Harrison College of Business and executive director of the Missouri Innovation Corporation at Southeast, is serving as interim provost and chief academic officer.

Willie Redmond, who serves on the search committee, said the university received about 110 applications for the position.

About 11 people were interviewed in St. Louis, and five were selected to visit the university, where they will meet with Southeast officials, faculty, staff, students and the community. They also will go on a tour of the Cape Girardeau area.

The provost is Southeast's chief academic officer and is responsible for eight colleges and schools. The provost makes hiring and tenure decisions; other responsibilities include maintaining academic program quality and deciding which programs need to be strengthened, trimmed or added.

Redmond said all the applicants visiting the university are "very strong" candidates, and the university hopes to have the position filled by January.

Scott Furlong

Scott Furlong

Furlong also is a professor of political science/public and environmental affairs. He has a Ph.D. in political science from the American University School of Public Affairs. He also completed the Harvard Institute for Management and Leadership in Education program in 2010.

During Monday's open forum, Furlong said there were a few things about Southeast that stood out to him, including a strong student success and support component at the university.

He said he was intrigued by the River Campus and the university's focus on the performing arts. Furlong said there also is a strong sense of community on campus.

"There just seems to be a sense that you all are doing some really good things, you know you're doing some good things, but you're not content with just doing good things. You want to do more," he said. "You want to be better, you want to be more active with your students, you want them to be successful and you're looking for ways to improve yourselves. And I want to work at a place where they're not content with where they are, regardless of how good they are, but wants to move forward."

Furlong also discussed the importance of studying abroad, especially for students who haven't traveled outside of their home state.

After taking questions from the audience, Furlong asked what they think the priorities should be for the incoming provost.

Faculty and staff said they hope to see a strong leader who invests in the university and also recognizes and seeks out untapped potential.

Bette Bergeron

Bette Bergeron

Bergeron has served as the provost and vice president for academic affairs at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven since 2014.

She formerly served as the dean of the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville from 2007 to 2014. She also was a professor of education.

Bergeron earned a doctorate in curriculum and instruction (reading/language arts) from Purdue University in 1991.

Southern Connecticut State University has about 10,000 students across five schools, including arts and sciences, business, education, health and human services and graduate studies.

About 29 percent of the campus' student population comprises of underrepresented minorities.

She will be on campus Wednesday and Thursday, with open forums at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Robert Knight

Robert Knight

Knight has served as dean of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts at California State University in Chico, California, since August 2013.

He formerly served as interim associate vice chancellor of academic affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire from July 2011 to July 2013.

He earned a Doctor of Music in voice performance at Northwestern University in 1988. This year, he completed the Harvard Institute for Management and Leadership in Education program.

California State University in Chico serves a diverse student body of more than 17,000. The college consists of 92 tenured or tenure track faculty, 66 part-time faculty and 40 staff served by a budget of more than $12 million.

Knight will be on campus Thursday and Friday, with open forums at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

Elizabeth Throop

Elizabeth Throop

Throop has served as dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Education at the University of Wisconsin in Platteville since June 2012.

She previously worked as interim dean of the Siebens School of Business and visiting professor of anthropology at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa, from July 2011 to June 2012.

She earned a Ph.D. in anthropology at the University of California in San Diego in 1996. She also has a master's in social work with a counseling concentration from the Jane Addams School of Social Work at the University of Illinois in Chicago.

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville has about 8,000 students. Throop supervises about 225 faculty and contingent instructional staff; the Center for Arts, spread across 10 departments; and the School of Education, offering about 50 majors, programs and minors, as well as general education and master's programs.

Throop will be on campus Friday and Saturday, with open forums at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Friday.

Karl Kunkel

Karl Kunkel

Kunkel has served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas, since July 2011. He also is a professor of sociology and justice studies.

He formerly worked as department head of sociology, anthropology and criminology at Missouri State University in Springfield from July 2003 to July 2011.

Kunkel earned a Doctor of Philosophy in sociology in 1989 from the University of Missouri in Columbia. He also holds a Master of Arts in sociology.

Pittsburg State University has about 6,200 undergraduate and 1,200 graduate students.

The university has four colleges -- Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Technology -- with Arts and Sciences being the largest. It is comprised of 12 departments, spanning the arts, humanities, social and natural sciences, as well as military science/ROTC and the Bradley School of Nursing.

Kunkel's visit, set to begin Tuesday, is being rescheduled.

To view each candidate's curriculum vitae, visit semo.edu/president/provost-search.html.

klamb@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3639

Pertinent address:

One University Plaza, Cape Girardeau, Mo.